In'ei Temple
The Temple of In'ei is a prosperous and heavily populated shinobi monastery in the Fire Country strongly reminiscent of Shaolin Monasteries, in this case however containing solely ninja monks. This particular sect of monks is separate from the monks of Fire Temple, and have an extremely close relationship to the powerful Tokugawa family. Their purpose is to refine and practice their spirituality and ninja arts to benefit the Tokugawa family in a manner strongly reminiscent of Konohagakure's relationship to the Fire Country Daimyō. They also function as an orphanage and school. The monks make a point to ensure that any child without family and clan can have a place with them, and are entirely self-sufficient but for occasional business with the Tokugawa family. This is necessary due to their extreme isolation. They produce their own food, smith their own weapons, armor, and tools, build and refurbish temple buildings and areas themselves, among other activities. The temple community aids the local feudal lord and his family. They provide unique and nearly unsurpassed training in a variety of schools from shinobi arts to spirituality, to trade training. The monks have developed their own version of shinobi arts in every category, and even have their own equivalents to forbidden techniques. They are widely renowned for their absolute mastery of soujutsu, or spear techniques, and their style in this art, known as Hozoin-ryu, is coveted. Those with knowledge however know that Hozoin-ryu is not the ultimate ability of the temple monks, deadly as it is. The temple's most closely guarded secret is the knowledge of, and the ability to teach a method of perfect chakra molding and an ability to intensify chakra upon intense concentration to monstrous levels, several times greater than the norm. Only elite adepts and masters are aware of this ability, and it's use is highly controlled by temple leadership. They are employed frequently as high class bodyguards and escorts. Rarely, they are even asked to send a contingent of strong warriors to assist the Daimyo. In the wake of the Fire Temple's destruction at the hand of S ranked Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu, In'ei Temple saw an enormous increase in both size and affluence. It is now one of the most famous, if mysterious temples in the shinobi world, partly due to its extreme isolation. Only the Tokugawa family and their closest vassals are aware of the temple's location. It is a very closely guarded secret, partly due to the fact that the temple has been used in the past as a way to hide important but threatened people, or valuable and/or dangerous objects. In very tangible ways, both in terms of the prestige of having the loyalty of this sect of monks, and the fact that they are a powerful military asset, the monks of In'ei Temple are an integral part of the Tokugawa family's power as landholders. The Temple is protected by a tri-fold barrier, which must be constantly empowered and monitored by the the temple's barrier division. Only monks classified as Adepts are allowed to know the signs to pass the barriers unimpeded. The first barrier serves as a means of detection of potential threats, and extends a quarter of a mile from the middle of the temple. The second barrier lies midway between the first and last barrier and when breached, triggers a powerful genjutsu techinque empowered by the barrier team itself, which changes its effect to suit the severity of the threat. Some simply will become instantly lost. Others will suffer a kanishibari effect and even unconsciousness. The third is a barrier that reacts to physical threats to the temple itself, providing a powerful physical obstruction to all who do not know the signs to pass unimpeded. Location Located in Fire Country in place of both wondrous natural beauty and deep isolation. Surrounded on all sides by mountains and forest, they are difficult to get to if one doesn't know the secret paths. It is said to be as isolated as Mount Myoboku, and in some circles has a similar prestige, as the monks of In'ei Temple are known to be powerful and even fierce warriors. Hozoin-ryu and In'ei Temple History (宝蔵院流?) is a unique school of shinobi arts that specializes in the art of spearmanship (sōjutsu). Hōzōin-ryū was founded by Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In'ei (宝蔵院 覚禅房 胤栄) at approximately the same time as the hidden village system was being formed. In'ei was a monk of the Fire Temple in Fire Country. He adored martial arts and trained in the art of swordsmanship however, and left the temple to assist in stabilizing the Fire Country. At the same time, he was coached and mentored by Daizendayū Moritada (大膳太夫盛忠?), a master of the spear. Under this master's guidance, In'ei honed his spearmanship. Eventually he also founded his own temple, dedicated not to him, or martial arts, or the Fire Country, but to the universe. It is said that one evening, on seeing the reflection of the crescent moon shining on Sarusawa pond, he was inspired to create a spear with a cross-shaped spearhead. He imagined this style of spear would be more effective in fighting. With this new type of spear (known as jumonji-yari 十文字槍), he founded the Hōzōin-ryu. Hozoin-ryu of course can be used with any staff weapon, even a bo, but the original style was specified for that particular spear. Later, the teachings Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu were passed down to Nakamura Naomasa In'ei and then Taizen Muwashi In'ei. Its reputation spread nationwide and the number of disciples increased. As Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu was passed down from generation to generation, various new techniques were created. It is said that Hozoin In'ei originally wrote a poem expressing the spear of Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu: "It can be a spear to thrust. It can be a naginata to cleave. It can be a kama to slash. In any case, it never fails to hit the target." The poem later became the motto and even nindo of the monks.